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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. capital — a city
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. firm — steady
  5. firm — a company
  6. capital — money
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. last — to go on
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. firm — decided
  11. last — final
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. last — finally

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com